European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 21, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 b the stars and stripes tuesday january 21, 1992democrats scramble for position in  argue Over who is Best Able to beat Bush by John King a political writer Manchester . A democratic presidential hopefuls opened the final month of the critical new Hampshire primary Campaign with a spirited debate Over taxes crime and the Economy feuding More among themselves than with the Man they Hope to replace. The target of Choice in the two hour debate sunday night was not president Bush but Arkansas gov. Bill Clinton a the 12-Point Leader in a new poll of voters in the Lead off primary state. While the Survey showed Clear momentum for the Arkansas governor it also provided evidence of a largely undecided electorate. The debates chief aggressor was Iowa sen. Tom Larkin and for Good reason. Dead last in the poll Larkin sought to jump Start his Campaign by casting his rivals As republicans masquerading As democrats. The biggest Surprise was former California gov. Jerry Brown. He had disrupted the last debate with rambling lectures about Money polluted politics. This time Brown stressed his achievements As governor and pointedly wove in attacks on special interest Power in Washington. There were repeated barbs but no major blunders. The democrats were United in saying that Bush has no economic strategy has fallen far Short of his Promise to be the education president and has done Little to curb violence drug trafficking and deteriorating race relations. Each argued he was the Man with the Best Chance of beating Bush Harkin offered himself As the Quot Only real Democrat Quot in the race. Nebraska sen. Bob Kerrey touted his health care Reform plan and willingness to confront difficult issues. Brown cited his winning electoral record in California. Former Massachusetts sen. Paul Tsong As too pointed to past election wins and held out his economic recovery proposals. Clinton said he had assembled a Broad based a coalition for change that takes in past supporters of Bush and Liberal Democrat Jesse Jackson. Debating the powerful crime Issue among themselves Clinton Tsongas and Kerrey advocated capital punishment for some crimes while Harkin and Brown opposed the death penalty a a favorite area for gop attacks on Liberal democrats. Clinton and Kerrey called for waiting periods on handgun purchases a position shared by All of the democrats on the firing line Are from left Tom Harkin Jerry Brown Bob Kerrey Paul Tsongas and Bill Clinton. Democrats. And Clinton said a major reason for increasing crime was an a us or them Quot mentality advanced by Bush that had strained race relations. A a in a tired of being divided us and them a Clinton said. A there is no them anymore. There a Only  when the talk turned to Trade Kerrey became the target. He has a Campaign and in which he leans on a hockey net and vows that if the japanese won t play fair on Trade a then  find out this president can play defense  Clinton and Tsongas said what America needed was offence. A any Bobby Orr fan knows you win the hockey game by scoring More goals a said Tsongas who repeatedly promoted his plan to rebuild America s manufacturing base. A we have to have an  on the Issue of a Middle income lax Cut Kerrey and Clinton were supporters while Tsongas and Harkin said such an approach was popular politically but bad economic policy. Harkin said Clinton Quot stuck it to the Little Guy by raising Arkansas sales tax and said the governor s Middle income tax Cut would do Little to help average families. Clinton aggressively tried to turn the tables dropping the detached approach he took in last months debate. �?o1 think it s very interesting senator Harkin does t want to give Middle class people a $400 tax break but he thinks it was Fine to give himself a $23,000 pay raise Quot Clinton said. Brown told them they were All wrong and came out for a conservative Republican favorite a a Flat tax on income. Harkin ridiculed that idea As coming a from the mat Earth  laying out the High stakes in new Hampshire Kerrey told the statewide television audience that the Winner of the state s feb. 18 primary Likely would be the democratic presidential nominee. By the time the five candidates arrived at amur i v. They knew Clinton was the Early favorite. Still new Hampshire voters Are far from decided a month out from primary Day. A Krc research poll conducted for the Boston Globe and Wiz to found 79 percent of 400 democratic voters had not made up their minds. When asked whom they would support if they had to vote tomorrow 29 percent picked Clinton a a 24-Point gain from his standing in the same poll a month ago Tsongas followed at 17 percent trailed by Kerrey at 16 percent Brown at 7 percent and Harkin at 3 percent. New Hampshire democratic party chairman Chris Spirou added this cautionary note after the debate Quot in new Hampshire a month is a  groups View homeless differently new York a a poll published sunday found americans divided Over whether the pervasive sight of homelessness is numbing people to the problem. The new York times lbs news poll showed significant differences in the Way people of various age groups View the homeless. Fifty five percent of those Between the Ages of 18 and 29 said a they thought most people Are so used to seeing the homeless that they done to feel upset by them. Forty five percent of the respondents Between the Ages of 30 and 44 and 41 percent of those Between 45 and 64 years agreed with that sentiment. Overall 44 percent said they believe most people have grown so used to seeing the homeless that they done to get upset 42 percent said most people feel upset. Success rate on Banning books at schools leaves official alarmed Madison wis. A efforts to get books and magazines banned or restricted in school libraries succeeded nearly half the time Over three years researchers said. A University of Wisconsin Survey of 6,600 secondary schools nationwide found censorship most successful at Small schools said Diane Mcafee Hopkins who supervised the study. An american Library association official said the finding was alarming. The study focused on 739 Book and Magazine challenges Between 1987 and 1990. Quot publications that Drew objections from parents and organizations were removed 26 percent of the time and were restricted a by age or Grade a 22 percent of the time said Hopkins an assistant professor of Library and information studies at the Madison Campus. School officials prevailed in keeping the questioned material in 52 percent of the cases Hopkins said. Ann Levinson assistant director of the american Library associations office of intellectual Freedom in Chicago called the statistics alarming. Quot that s a very High rate of successful challenges a Levinson said. A we would like to Hope that first amendment freedoms hold up a lot More than that. As it is they Don t work half of the time. A the chill is on a she said. The most frequently questioned Book was forever by Judy Blume about a teen age girl who loses her virginity. The Book by Blume who specializes in adolescent fiction was challenged 13 limes in the schools and period studied. There were 10 challenges each for Cio ask Alice a Book by an Anonymous author about teen drug use Shecho comic bar. Robert Cormier a novel about boys who rebel when their school forces them to sell Candy bars and can of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel which is set in prehistoric times. Sports  a annual swimsuit Issue and roiling Stone Magazine topped the list of most challenged magazines with nine each. It was no Surprise Hopkins said that challenges were More successful in smaller schools. A research already done suggests that the larger the Community the larger the school and the More Likely materials would be retained than in a Small Selling Quot she said. Hopkins said 64 percent of challenges came from parents 13 percent from teachers and 7 percent from principals. The rest came from conservative or Liberal groups superintendents school boards and others she said. The study also found the Success of a Challenge often hinged on More than moral or constitutional arguments. Challenges frequently failed when the principal and teachers supported keeping the Book or Magazine and the school had a written policy for dealing with the challenges she said. Oral challenges were often More successful than written complaints she said